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Huron man's work chosen for International film festival

Despite the title, Ryan Arthur’s film is not what you might consider “nice.”

Melissa Topey

Huron

Mar 27, 2013

“Sugar and Spice” is thick with suspense, and it ends in a positively dramatic fashion that independent film aficionados won’t see coming.

At least, that’s what Arthur is aiming for. The Huron resident’s five-minute short film will be screened at Tower City Cinemas in downtown Cleveland next month, as part of the 37th annual Cleveland International Film Festival. Over the 11-day festival, Arthur’s film screens April 4, 5 and 11.

“I was ecstatic,” he said of learning he was among a select whose work was chosen for screening.

“Sugar and Spice” is about a girl, played by Arthur’s 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, who encounters a suspected kidnapper at her lemonade stand. “There is a twist ending to it,” Arthur said. “It is an exercise in building conflict and tension.”

It was filmed in the Sandusky and Huron areas over two days. Arthur laughed as he recalled the neighborhood kids who kept coming up to the stand to buy a lemonade.

“Even with all these boom mics, they didn’t understand what it was for,” Arthur said.

His film is being screened in both the “Ohio Shorts” and “Late Night Shorts Program 1” categories. The festival runs April 3-14.

Arthur’s film is one of 164 chosen from more than 1,200 submissions. Only eight are from Ohio.

This was his first time submitting anything to the film festival.

“To be accepted into the Cleveland festival, this is a fairly big one,” he said.

The screening will give his work great exposure, and it also gives him a chance to rub elbows with some influentials in the industry.

The competition could also put him in the running for awards — and money, depending on the results.

Arthur, 35, started out as a music major at The Ohio State University. He tried his hand at modeling, but then he got his hands on a camera.

“I found it was more fun telling people what to do then being told what to do,” he said, smiling.

Today he owns Render Farm Studio. He’s been a filmmaker and video producer for about 10 years, winning nine national awards for his work in commercials and four Image Awards.

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Want to go?

What: “Sugar & Spice” screening at Cleveland International Film Festival

When: 9:30 p.m. April 4; 11:20 p.m. April 5; 4:15 p.m. April 11

Where: Tower City Theaters in downtown Cleveland

More: Tickets can be purchased online at www.clevelandfilm.org. Additional information on other films can also be found at the website.